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Improving The Completeness Of Product Carbon Footprints Using A Global Link Input-Output Model: The Case Of Japan

Author

Listed:
  • Keisuke Nansai
  • Shigemi Kagawa
  • Yasushi Kondo
  • Sangwon Suh
  • Rokuta Inaba
  • Kenichi Nakajima

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the main activities of Japan's 'Disclosure of CO2 emissions' programme, aimed at illustrating the CO2 emissions associated with consumer products as a 'carbon footprint' (CF). Although the current, provisional guidelines for calculating product carbon footprints specify that only the bottom-up approach is to be used for this purpose, this paper presents useful applications of input-output analysis that can improve the reliability of the method considerably, by taking full advantage of the strengths of input-output analysis. To this end, we first estimated the global carbon footprint (GCF) of food and consumables in Japan, using a global link input-output (GLIO) model comprising 804 economic sectors in Japan and 230 foreign countries and regions. By visualizing the GCF on a world map, the global distribution (including Middle East and African countries) of the induced CO2 emissions of each of the Japanese sectors were identified. To investigate the scope for reducing the data collection burden for CF practitioners, GCFs were compared with CFs obtained using a single-region input-output model. This showed that there are certain commodity groups with a CF equating to 70% to over 90% of the corresponding GCF, even if the imported goods used for producing a Japanese domestic product are considered environmentally equivalent to their domestically produced counterparts. Furthermore, it was identified which data should preferably be collected by the bottom-up approach to secure CO2 emissions coverage greater than a certain predefined level and keep data and labour costs at a minimum.

Suggested Citation

  • Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Yasushi Kondo & Sangwon Suh & Rokuta Inaba & Kenichi Nakajima, 2009. "Improving The Completeness Of Product Carbon Footprints Using A Global Link Input-Output Model: The Case Of Japan," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 267-290.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:ecsysr:v:21:y:2009:i:3:p:267-290
    DOI: 10.1080/09535310903541587
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. B. H. Chiarini & W. Chaovalitwongse & P. M. Pardalos, 2004. "A New Algorithm For The Triangulation Of Input–Output Tables In Economics," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Panos M Pardalos & Athanasios Migdalas & George Baourakis (ed.), Supply Chain And Finance, chapter 15, pages 253-272, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Nadim Ahmad & Andrew Wyckoff, 2003. "Carbon Dioxide Emissions Embodied in International Trade of Goods," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2003/15, OECD Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dixit, Manish K., 2017. "Life cycle embodied energy analysis of residential buildings: A review of literature to investigate embodied energy parameters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 390-413.
    2. Mitsuo Yamada & Kiyoshi Fujikawa & Yoshito Umeda, 2019. "Scenario input–output analysis on the diffusion of fuel cell vehicles and alternative hydrogen supply systems," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Yosuke Shigetomi & Keisuke Nansai & Shigemi Kagawa & Susumu Tohno, 2016. "Influence of income difference on carbon and material footprints for critical metals: the case of Japanese households," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Li, Xi & Zhang, Runsen & Chen, Jundong & Jiang, Yida & Zhang, Qiong & Long, Yin, 2021. "Urban-scale carbon footprint evaluation based on citizen travel demand in Japan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    5. Fernández-Amador, Octavio & Francois, Joseph F. & Tomberger, Patrick, 2016. "Carbon dioxide emissions and international trade at the turn of the millennium," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 14-26.
    6. Yujiro Hirano & Tomohiko Ihara & Masayuki Hara & Keita Honjo, 2020. "Estimation of Direct and Indirect Household CO 2 Emissions in 49 Japanese Cities with Consideration of Regional Conditions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, June.
    7. Mi, Zhifu & Zhang, Yunkun & Guan, Dabo & Shan, Yuli & Liu, Zhu & Cong, Ronggang & Yuan, Xiao-Chen & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2016. "Consumption-based emission accounting for Chinese cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1073-1081.
    8. Hajime Ohno & Kazuyo Matsubae & Kenichi Nakajima & Keisuke Nansai & Yasuhiro Fukushima & Tetsuya Nagasaka, 2016. "Consumption-based accounting of steel alloying elements and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the metal use: the case of Japan," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 5(1), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Long, Yin & Yoshida, Yoshikuni, 2018. "Quantifying city-scale emission responsibility based on input-output analysis – Insight from Tokyo, Japan," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 349-360.
    10. Wang, H. & Ang, B.W., 2018. "Assessing the role of international trade in global CO2 emissions: An index decomposition analysis approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 146-158.
    11. Ju, Yiyi & Fujikawa, Kiyoshi, 2019. "Modeling the cost transmission mechanism of the emission trading scheme in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 172-182.
    12. Long, Yin & Dong, Liang & Yoshida, Yoshikuni & Li, Zhaoling, 2018. "Evaluation of energy-related household carbon footprints in metropolitan areas of Japan," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 377(C), pages 16-25.
    13. Mi, Zhifu & Zheng, Jiali & Meng, Jing & Zheng, Heran & Li, Xian & Coffman, D'Maris & Woltjer, Johan & Wang, Shouyang & Guan, Dabo, 2019. "Carbon emissions of cities from a consumption-based perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 509-518.
    14. Shigetomi, Yosuke & Nansai, Keisuke & Kagawa, Shigemi & Tohno, Susumu, 2015. "Trends in Japanese households' critical-metals material footprints," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 118-126.
    15. Gaussin, M. & Hu, G. & Abolghasem, S. & Basu, S. & Shankar, M.R. & Bidanda, B., 2013. "Assessing the environmental footprint of manufactured products: A survey of current literature," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 515-523.
    16. Tokito, Shohei & Kagawa, Shigemi & Nansai, Keisuke, 2016. "Understanding international trade network complexity of platinum: The case of Japan," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 415-421.

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